Synopsis:
Say Tian Hng Buddha Shop is one of Singapore's oldest heritage businesses, now into its 6th generation. It specialises in the hand-crafting of wooden statues of Daoist and Buddhist deities using traditional techniques dating back to the early Qing Dynasty that are listed today as an official Intangible Cultural Heritage of China, used to craft gifts to foreign dignitaries.
Run by the Ng family, which has been crafting statues since 1840, the shop is in the midst of transitioning to its 6th generation.
In this personal sharing, 6th generation apprentice craftsman Ng Tze Yong will take you on his unconventional journey, giving a glimpse into the secrets of the ancient craft, which revolves around a splendidly-inclusive cast of characters comprising fearsome warlords, fair maidens, drunken monks and filial parrots.
He will describe the iconography that is critical to the accurate identification of individuals within this cast, utilising a myriad combination of headwear, robes, armour, weapons, accessories, postures, gestures, eye brows, skin tones, beards, and even sideburns.
He will share about the family's innovation efforts, kick-started as a small thesis project at New York's Parsons School of Design (better known for fashion models than divine models).
It was an innovation journey involving a Monkey God redesign competition, turning his grandma into a mini star on Airbnb, the
use of technology used in medical aesthetics, and the set-up of a contemporary education arm - the Academy of Classical Chinese Culture - to help modern kids fall in love with ancient legends.
He'd share how amid these, he came to realise the unobvious: That his grandma's seemingly old-fashioned shop was already the OG startup, 130 years ago.
Important to note: